And though much of the FCAT will go away when PARCC is fully implemented in 2013, it doesn’t mean the end of testing in Florida schools.

Florida is also using end-of-course exams which test a student’s knowledge of algebra, biology, geometry or other subjects.

As the News Service of Florida reports, a teacher’s union spokesman says the ad is more about re-election than education:

“This video is a campaign ad designed to calm folks down about testing and a PR move to improve Scott’s image,” said Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teacher union, and a longtime critic of the FCAT. “And I think it’s designed to tamp down any chance that testing becomes an issue in legislative races.”

Even fellow Republicans acknowledge that Scott may be a bit late to the idea, but some say that’s OK.

Sen. Nancy Detert, the Republican who sponsored the bill phasing out the FCAT for a new “end-of-course” exam, said even if the idea has already left the station, it’s better for Scott to board late than not at all, because he can help sell the new testing scheme.